Herman Moore Blog: Racking up rushing yards will not be Reggie Bush's bread-and-butter

Reggie Bush was brought in to establish the running game, but he'll actually do that via the quick-passing game

A big storyline heading into this week's game with the Vikings is the offensive tandem of Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush. In recent seasons, what has been missing for the Lions is an established running game and the perception is that Reggie Bush provides the answer.

To that I tell fans not to panic when he doesn't shoot to the top of the NFL rankings in rushing yards. Though Reggie will balance out the intermediate and deep passing game, his purpose is to give Matthew Stafford a big-play option in the quick-passing game.

We saw that firsthand during the preseason. Reggie finished with 21 rushing yards in three games, but led the team with 147 receiving yards.

He is not going to be the player that you're looking to pound the ball in between the tackles. For that, the Lions have Joique Bell, Mikel Leshoure and other players that are just big-bodied backs.

But when you're looking for versatility, Reggie is going to be the one-stop shop because of his ability to become a receiver and a person that needs to be accounted for in the passing game.

The other element that makes Reggie a threat defenses have to pay attention to is his ability to stretch the play sideline to sideline, whether that be through screen passes or working over the middle against one-on-one matchups with linebackers.

That, in a sense, will free up the receivers. There should be one-on-one coverages with the slot receivers and whoever the second and third receivers are. That will eventually free up Calvin.

What's important is that Calvin remains patient and focused in this game until it is his turn to make a play. That sounds funny to say for a player who is expected to make an impact every single week, but sometimes you can get lost when you're not included the first few plays of the game.